THE BUTCHIES, DAVIES VS. DRESCH, MS. LED
(Sunset) See preview, page 41.
MIDTOWN, ARMOR FOR SLEEP, YOUR ENEMIES FRIENDS, LANCES HERO
(Graceland) See preview, page 44.
CHOP SUEY'S SECOND ANNIVERSARY W/ HOLLERTRONIX, DON CABALLERO, LIFESAVAS, the lights, wesley holmes, dj paco
(Chop Suey) See Data Breaker, page 39.
ANGIE STONE, VAN HUNT, THC
(Neumo's) Angie Stone is admired for the rich texture of her singing voice, which is informed in the profound tradition of gospel music and the glamour of late-Motown soul. Songwriter, saxophonist, and one-time rapper, Stone has not achieved the fame of, say, Erykah Badu, but many recognize her 1999 CD, Black Diamond, as a mighty peak in the neo-soul movement that began with D'Angelo in the mid-'90s and is presently propagated by emerging singers like Van Hunt--with whom Stone is touring. Angie Stone is the real deal. CHARLES MUDEDE
SLIGHTLY STOOPID, PEPPER, MISHKA
(Showbox) You think bands like Pepper don't really exist, that they're just a myth or an exaggeration for the sake of a joke. Nope. No joke. I've witnessed it live. Pepper started the show asking the question "Are you drunk and horny?" They invited the halter-top-clad sorority girls in the crowd (who are no doubt drunk and horny) on stage to dance to their Sublime-wannabe brodeo sounds. They put their fingers together in a suggestive manner, held them up to the sky, and hollered, "Pussy!!" numerous times. This is a band that poses shirtless in its promo shots. They're misogynistic, they talk about smoking insane amounts of pot, and they're terrible. They're really, really terrible. MEGAN SELING
FRIDAY 5/14
COMEBACK: COLBY B, DJ PORQ, DJ FUCKING IN THE STREETS, MC CHOMPERS
(Chop Suey) See Stranger Suggests, page 27.
MINUS THE BEAR, VELLS, WE RAGAZZI, SMOKE & SMOKE
(Neumo's) See previews, page 39 and 47.
BIOGRAPHY OF FERNS, DROWNING IN LETHE, BLACK: JAPAN, STRT SPRX
(Old Fire House) See Stranger Suggests, page 27.
MR. AIRPLANE MAN, THE INVISIBLE EYES, HEX COUNTY
(Switch House) See Live Wire, page 50.
JON DELERIOUS, ROXNADZ, LU ROB
(CHAC Lower Level) On his debut album, No Warning (Nordic Trax), Calgary producer Jon Delerious' music is anything but his surname; rather, he crafts house tracks that ooze an understated cool, even when the beats bang and the bass bumps with pornographic insistence. It's organic, funky output that even exudes a bit of Basic Channel dubbiness, and it's earned him respect from important figures like Laurent Garnier, Gilles Peterson, Lee Burridge, and Johnny Fiasco. If you like your house music chilled, spliffed-out, and subtle, this Canuck will be your (dime) bag. DAVE SEGAL
HAMMERBOX, SEAN NELSON AND HIS MORTAL ENEMIES
(EMP Sky Church) Way back in the grunge days, Hammerbox was one of Seattle's other great hopes, and they had a good chance until signing to the ill-fated Titanic that was A&M Records. In 1991, however, their self-titled EP debut for C/Z records, with Carrie Akre's undeniable vocal talents, plus Harris Thurmond's intense, inventive, and melodic guitar-playing and a kickass rhythm section held down by bassist James Atkin and Dave Bosch, featured the band at the height of their lamentably short--two album--career. Akre's vocal versatility flowed impressively from the ferocity of "Size of the World" to the softly hued "When 3 Is 2," and one of the things that always surprised me is that in lesser hands many Hammerbox songs would have sounded like ballads rather than rockers. (The ill-fated follow-up, Numb, showed growth but sounded as slick as could be expected.) Since then, Akre fronted Goodness and founded her own Good-Ink label, while Thurmond joined Steve Mack (former singer for That Petrol Emotion) for the short-lived but compelling Anodyne, and now plays guitar for Sanford Arms. Opener Sean Nelson and His Mortal Enemies features lots of local players, including Jon Auer, Gavin Guss, Michael Shilling, and Matt Southworth. Nelson and the rest of this one-off supergroup will play some of his own songs as well as a few covers. KATHLEEN WILSON
SATURDAY 5/15
ANCILLE, RAKING BOMBS, BLUE MOUSE THEATER, FOURTH AND DRIVE, MIKAELA'S FIEND
(Ground Zero) See Underage, page 61.
AMBULANCE LTD, THE TURN-ONS, HYPATIA LAKE
(Chop Suey) See preview, page 39.
MUDHONEY, THE SPITS, TYCO PARTY, THE FAKIES, THE WILD HAIRS
(Sunset Tavern) Today belongs to Seattle's skateboarders and skate parks. There's a march/skate along Fifth Avenue (starting at Seaskate) at 12:30 pm, a city hall rally at 1:30 pm to save the Ballard Bowl, and a free all-ages show/barbecue--from 3 pm to 7 pm--at the Fun House with the Villains, the Fucking Chachis, the Fakies, and the Wild Hairs. But the big event, music-wise, is this show at the Sunset. The last time Mudhoney played the Ballard club, I heard the line was out the door, so my advice is to make sure you're there early--especially if you haven't seen young punk duo the Wild Hairs before. JENNIFER MAERZ
SUNDAY 5/16
TARENTEL, STEVE VON TILL, GRAILS, NATION OF TWO
(Vera Project) See preview, page 42.
FUTURE SOUL: DAZ-I-KUE, SUNTZU SOUND DJs
(Baltic Room) West London producer/DJ Daz-I-Kue rolls with broken-beat scene-rulers Bugz in the Attic. If you have even the slightest interest in this sophisticatedly hectic amalgam of jazz, funk, soul, and jungle, get your ass to the Baltic tonight. Daz's set's sure to be full of rhythms that are a double-jointed contortionist's wet dream. DAVE SEGAL MONDAY 5/17
THE THERMALS
(Crocodile) See preview, page 44.
LUCIA CD RELEASE PARTY
(Mirabeau) Lucia Cifarelli is best known as the scream queen for Drill and industrial rockers KMFDM, but her new solo album, From the Land of Volcanos, sounds more like the seductive electronica of Curve. Her transformation from intimidating diva to demure chanteuse is surprisingly convincing, especially on pure pop songs like "I Don't Care" or "Ordinary Girl." Oddly enough, when she tries to ratchet up the energy on "Monkey Puzzle Tree," the disc starts to get a little silly. But it's easy to forgive her, because she's drop-dead gorgeous and has a voice to match. Unfortunately, Lucia won't be performing at this event, but since she's now living in Seattle (by way of NYC), she'll be on hand to chat with fans. And that's reason enough to attend. DAVID SLATTON
TUESDAY 5/18
BOSS MARTIANS, MEXICAN BLACKBIRDS, LOS PELIGROSOS
(Re-bar) Finally them Boss Martians are having a belated record release for their last album, 2003's The Set-Up. And it also seems BM have changed their sound again, settling on the well-loved pop punk action... y'all remember that mid-'90s revised sound of the late '70s? Honestly, this new BM sound kinda struck me as odd, as BM was ALLways about the '60s, but they HAVE gone through many changes, so pop punk from BM does stand to reason. At least they STILL are a ROCK band--imagine them getting a DJ and going "house"... "fly" or whatever the giant-pants E-head kids call the "disco" these days. So go celebrate their new-ish LP and dig their new sounds... and party with 'em like it's 1997! MIKE NIPPER
'THE SMITHS VS. MORRISSEY' W/THE LASHES, AARON SPRINKLE, SLENDER MEANS, SUFFERING AND THE HIDEOUS THIEVES, ROBB BENSON, GUESTS
(Crocodile) I've been reading far too many biographies concerning the Smiths and Morrissey lately, and just like when I was 23, it's taken an emotional toll. Which is why I'm hoping this face-off--a musical rumble--between local bands showing their enthusiasm for the Smiths cannon or Morrissey's later albums will wipe away the melancholia I've been suffering and put a smile on my face and in my (black) heart. KATHLEEN WILSON
THE CATHETERS
(Easy Street Records, Queen Anne) It's interesting to gauge the reactions people have to the new Catheters material. There are those who loved the grimy, bleak punk undertones of Static Delusions and Stone-Still Days and are having a tough time moving on with the band's shift to a slightly less dark-and-moody direction, while people who never really listened to the band before are suddenly e-mailing me about how much they love the new record, Howling... It Grows and Grows!!! Personally, I've been on both sides of the equation, but the more I listen to Howling the more I like the classic-rock groove coursing throughout, as well as the more heavily textured sound--influenced, frontman Brian Standeford has said, by listening to lots of Pere Ubu and Rocket from the Tombs. It's a complex, sprawling new take on the Catheters, a band that's never seemed comfortable sitting exactly where people's expectations want to place them. JENNIFER MAERZ
ORANGE GOBLIN, VALIS, LAMONT, MURDOCK
(Graceland) The dirty Brits are back--Orange Goblin are touring in support of their fifth album, Thieving in the Name of God. While I haven't heard it myself yet, my guess is they are continuing their progression away from Sleep/Kyuss territory into a more straight-up but nonetheless heavy rock sound. They've served up a lethal dose of power every time they've played the Left Coast--expect the same this time around. With all their peers either dwindling toward obscurity (Nebula, Mammoth Volume) or just plain sucking nowadays (Monster Magnet, Fu Manchu), it's good to see at least one band keeping the whole underground Sabbath rock genre alive and well. So get your ass down to Graceland to see their heavy and haunting audio assault, but don't forget to bring the earplugs! WILLIE CRANE
THE DISTILLERS, VENDETTA RED, DARKER MY LOVE
(Showbox) I'm still of the opinion that the Distillers' Brody Dalle has one of the fiercest female roars in rock. As Courtney Love becomes a mockery of a once-powerful punk icon, Dalle holds her own on record after record, only getting stronger over time--and the same is true for her band. My one complaint, sadly, is that the Distillers never sound as tight on tour as they do in the studio, and having seen the band nearly every time they've come through town, I'm still waiting for that one show to knock me on my ass as much as Sing Sing Death House and Coral Fang have on a CD player. Hopefully constant touring will have changed that fact for the better this time around. JENNIFER MAERZ
EARTHA KITT
(Jazz Alley) I feel sorry for today's young fags. Britney? Christina? Beyoncé? These are not divas--they're anime characters! When I was a willowy slip of a lad, we had icons like Eartha Kitt, who, as I came out of the closet in 1983, was enjoying renewed popularity thanks to her Top 10 dance hit, "Where Is My Man," a slinky, electro-disco confection that still holds up today. And so does Miss Eartha. A forward-thinking chanteuse, she paved the way for groundbreakers like Grace Jones and Missy Elliott--and neither of them ever got bitten by Orson Welles, or blacklisted for denouncing the Vietnam War at a White House luncheon. Kitt's distinctive vibrato and arch delivery have kept her in demand, on stage, and voicing cartoons, and, thanks to her fitness regime, she has aged more gracefully than many of her peers; at 77, she can still do handstands. Go on, ask her. KURT B. REIGHLEY
DONALD GLAUDE, GENE LEE
(Liquid Lounge) One of the West Coast's most beloved and animated DJs--and a catalyst along with DJ Dan for Seattle's rave scene--Donald Glaude has a doctorate in cold rockin' it, to borrow an old-school rapper's piquant phrase. Any house jock who throws liberal amounts of unsung tribal-techno great Marco Bailey into his sets has elephant-sized balls, in my book. Glaude titled his first mix CD for Moonshine Records Off the Hook, and he intends to keep things in that ecstatically wild condition until they unplug his rig for good. DAVE SEGAL
WEDNESDAY 5/19
DMC REGIONAL TURNTABLE CHAMPIONSHIPS
(Chop Suey) See Stranger Suggests, page 27.
THE FRENCH KICKS, THE JOGGERS, ON THE SPEAKERS
(Crocodile) The new album from the French Kicks is far better than their 2001 full-length debut, One Time Bells, mostly because the edges have been softened and, well, it's a far prettier-sounding record, less a derivative mix of garage and punk, as if back then they were throwing things at the wall and self-consciously watching what would stick. Though they most resemble the Walkmen these days, the harmonies and optimistic musical sound are nothing less than charming and universal in emotions. The piano helps, too. KATHLEEN WILSON
